[SCD] Phyrexian Revoker

[FieryBalrog]

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=114247&stc=1&d=1295327697

Seems pretty fantastic for Legacy (& Vintage). Putting legs on Pithing Needle is exactly the kind of effect that you want, making him relevant at all times. I think Affinity loves this guy, maybe even in the mainboard. The only knock is costing 1 more, which can be relevant. Still, a fantastic hatebear that I think will see a ton of play.

[Skeggi]

For Legacy: doesn't stop Wasteland, Volrath's Stronghold or Academy Ruins.
For Vintage: doesn't stop Bazaar of Baghdad.

For Legacy it doesn't have to be a showstopper though, but for Vintage I think it is.

[FieryBalrog]

For Legacy: doesn't stop Wasteland, Volrath's Stronghold or Academy Ruins.
For Vintage: doesn't stop Bazaar of Baghdad.

For Legacy it doesn't have to be a showstopper though, but for Vintage I think it is.

But... it does stop Noble Hierarch! And Chrome Mox/Mox Diamond!

[Amon Amarth]

This guy is a good reason why Affinity won't play Vial.

[practical joke]

It stops LED though, and there aren't many cards that do so.

[sclabman]

I very much like this card. It hits mana abilities, namely LED, as mentioned above.

Great hate bear.

[majikal]

It stops LED though, and there aren't many cards that do so.
This! I can't count the number of times I have wished Null Rod could beat down in the Tendrils matchup!

Also relevant against Merfolk without turning off my own equipment!

[Skeggi]

It stops LED though, and there aren't many cards that do so.
That is a very important feature. Damn now I have to get 4...

[jandax]

You had to get four anyways, now you just realized it...

[dontbiteitholmes]

So many good uses for this guy and he's never completely wasted like vial sometimes can be. Naming Vial, Deed, Top, even a mana source. Seems like there's something relevant for this guy in pretty much every deck and a 2/1 body for 2, he could be good. Most promising card I've seen so far for Eternal.

[Gui]

He's got the advantage of being a decent creature, but yet, he is a creature. He will be easily removed... Promising, but most decks will simply remove him unless they would do that with the piece you just shutted down...

[(nameless one)]

Another tool for MUD-stompy? That deck is bound to be broken soon. It already got Lodestone Golem.

[GGoober]

This has been the card I've been waiting like FOREVER to get printed. I wasn't expecting 2 colorless for a 2/1 body but that is just a godsend for the deck that I'm concerned with. Now I can stop Jace, Pridemage, Vial, Top, EE, Deeds and drop him off an Ancient Tomb!

In standard he's going to be good, against Jace.meta and being a beater to put up a threat against the control players. I'm having Renewed Faith with the set again. SoM was horrible.. MBS is looking good so far.

[Shinwei]

I'm going to get myself 4 of these. FieryBalrog, be prepared!!

Also, maybe with this guy out on the field maybe they will UNBAN Survival of the Fittest? :)

[Tacosnape]

This is officially my favorite card in the history of magic.

[Sims]

This is officially my favorite card in the history of magic.

I'm leaning to agree.... though i think it's more because I'm happy that, unlike the last set, this set actually has Phyrexians in it. And they're bringing back Horrors. The card is really good and i'm upset i'm going to have to actually spend money on cards again for the first time in a while, but oh well.

[dahcmai]

I'm just bummed you can't pre-order foils of it. I want a set. He's really, really decent. He reminds me of Dark Confidant in a way. Taking an ability that worked well as an artifact or enchantment and placing it on a stick.

[Reverend Damaged]

I love this creature. Like some people mentioned, affinity will love him, and he shuts down LED. Every time I've played Affinity it's combo that wrecked me, so I feel he's an instant maindeck 4 of.

I wish I could make the point that it's "Pithing needle you can survival for"... but... you know.

[Tacosnape]

Like, seriously. I will be maindecking this guy in something. Probably a 5/3 build with Lodestone Golem, Juggernaut, and somn else. More disruption equals the good.

[Leftconsin]

One step closer to porting GW Stompy over from Vintage and make it work.

[Pastorofmuppets]

Great hate bear.
Teeeechnically, it's a hate Piker.

[GGoober]

Like, seriously. I will be maindecking this guy in something. Probably a 5/3 build with Lodestone Golem, Juggernaut, and somn else. More disruption equals the good.

You're not the only one who feels that this card is the best card printed in the history of MTG (well a personal opinion that is) because I've been waiting for a CASTABLE creature to be printed with the ability of Pithing Needle since Pithing Needles was printed.

2/1 for :2: is just much more than I expected. WotC definitely considered eternal playability from this Standpoint (knowing his impact on mostly Vintage and Legacy). I'm very happy. If they ever printed a similar creature for triggered abilities (another creature that I've been waiting for), I'll be too happy lol.

The other day I just made a comment to my friend that if WotC prints a playable 2cc creature that I can play off an Ancient Tomb, I think my fun Overseer deck will have some srs business. And this is as close as the card I wanted to have since it inherently solves the problem against random Deeds/EE/Pridemage but having the ability to cripple opposing decks while having a decent fast 2/1 body to apply pressure.

[Solar Ice]

He seems like a solid and playable card. It will probably see play, even though Needle is better. Though I'd keep in mind that Meddling Mage was also considered great at some point and is now hardly played.

[GGoober]

MM was only playable in UW decks, which by nature already was in the color that could deal with cards that would otherwise have required a MM effect e.g. combo. MM does stop cards like Replenish, but once again, you're in a UW shell, which by nature of its color could stop those spells.

MM is still played but not as much for this very reason. It's currently only played in either 1) decks that want more disruption with a clock e.g. UWx aggro or 2) A deck without enough counterspells to big threats e.g. Ad Nauseam and Show and tell (therefore he's only played in Landstill/slow-controllish decks).

There's a big difference between the effect of Pithing Needle and MM though. MM requires you to have him in play before the spell is played/resolved, making him more conditional whereas Pithing Needle could be played pre-emptively or post-spell, in either case, affects the opponents in its own ways. Now, we have a Pithing Needle effect (not entirely) on a 2/1 body for just :2:. It's not a matter if he will be a playable card. He will definitely be played. It cannot hit Wasteland but it stops mana abilities and aside from Wasteland is relevant for everything Pithing Needle can name, and be a pressure at the same time.

In Vintage, there's no question that he will be played. Too many good targets, and the ability to stop Black Lotus, Sol Ring, Vault, Key, Jace, Welder, everything relevant in the format. IMO he's one of the most potential 'answer/SB' cards to be printed for the format.

[dahcmai]

Well, I got one of my wishes with this guy, now if they only make disenchant land.

[Octopusman]

I have to admit that I was really bummed by the non-land clause because I've been hoping for a creature that can deal with Maze of Ith and maybe Mosswort bridge.

However, there's no doubt that the ability to hit non-land manasouces is a pretty major upside. I too agree that this card will see play in Vintage. It also make me hopeful that there will be more viable Vintage builds since this can shut off the real moxen, Tezzeret, and everything else that has mentioned. Between this, chalice, and null-rod, I may look into putting something together.

Enough about Vintage though. I too was hoping for a creature that would nullify the named cards triggered abilities since counterbalance is a huge concern to me these days and this card just hits top and gets countered by counterbalance all day. I do love the things that it can shut off, but by the time you have two mana with no accelerants it will probably be too late to stop a combo deck's LED if you're on the draw.

I remember the shock and awe when pithing needle was printed and I think this is exceeding that, especially since there are things like Jace. For all interested parties, I suggest you get your playset now before this shoots up in price. You know it will. It's one of the best hate cards ever printed imo and after I post this I am going straight to prebuy a playset.

Comparing it to Meddling Mage is interesting. However, I never really felt that Meddling Mages power was diminished by the "you don't know what your opponents deck is" argument, but the fact that you almost always want to cast it before the card you want to shut off is cast makes it strictly different as others have mentioned.

I'm so excited to shut off Noble Hierarch and Vial primarily. Not gunna lie, I like that this can shut off gempalm incinerator, siege-gang and the occasional sharpshooter. Taking out equipment is also a gigantic plus.
So excited for this card!

Edit: Just got for $4 each after shipping. Schwiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

[from Cairo]

I too agree that this card will see play in Vintage. It also make me hopeful that there will be more viable Vintage builds since this can shut off the real moxen, Tezzeret, and everything else that has mentioned. Between this, chalice, and null-rod, I may look into putting something together.

Absolutely agree, this card seems stellar for Vintage agro. The fact that if both players start with Land, (different) Mox, and one has Revoker, it's a virtual Sinkhole + 2/1 as far as tempo. Not to mention it's actual hoser applications versus Planeswalkers, Time Vault, etc.


Comparing it to Meddling Mage is interesting.

I can see the MM comparision, but this card has a bunch going for it over Meddling Mage. It's colorless for starters, which means it can see play in archetypes that would love a Meddling Mage effect but don't run UW. Also it can come down after the problem permanent has resolved and still maybe disrupt the opponent's game plan.


I remember the shock and awe when pithing needle was printed and I think this is exceeding that, especially since there are things like Jace. For all interested parties, I suggest you get your playset now before this shoots up in price. You know it will. It's one of the best hate cards ever printed imo and after I post this I am going straight to prebuy a playset.


I also really agree with this. It's a proactive answer to Jace and Aether Vial, these are really defining cards of Standard and Legacy. It's also got a body attached to it, while Pithing Needle can be a huge house, it doesn't regularly generate card advantage, sometimes virtual card advantage. The ability to shut off a 3-4 of in an opponent's deck and be gaining a 2/1 in the equation is super powerful. Hitting Sensei's Divining Top, Lion's Eye Diamond, equipement, random creatures with activate abilities, etc seems like just icing. Grabbing these up at $4 seems like a very safe buy.

[dahcmai]

So what's the bets we fight over this guy as a foil on the first order that pops up? I plan to snag a set of foils right off the bat before all the idiots figure out how good it is. Be warned I bid hard. My Id is in my sig.

[mrjumbo03]

I have a question regarding the "as comes into play" trigger... do i name the nonland card immediately when i cast it, hence putting the name a nonland card on the stack, or do i name it after the "as comes into play" trigger resolves?

[Rico Suave]

This guy will be another hatebear. I guess we can start calling him Needlebear.

He's a solid card. I'm sure he'll see play and probably be a fine SB card, but at the end of the day he's still a 2/1 with a useful but not powerful ability. He will make some decks a little better but he's not going to do much beyond that.

[keys]

The fact that he doesn't target Wasteland, Mishra's, Maze of Ith, Port, [BAZAAR].... makes this not quite as good as Needle. But it will still find a home in MUD/Stompy decks for sure.

[whienot]

I have a question regarding the "as comes into play" trigger... do i name the nonland card immediately when i cast it, hence putting the name a nonland card on the stack, or do i name it after the "as comes into play" trigger resolves?

"As comes into play" is not a trigger, but a static ability. It cannot be Stifled. It's the same rule with Iona and Meddling Mage. You name a nonland card at the same time it enters the battlefield.

[Broham]

The fact that he doesn't target Wasteland, Mishra's, Maze of Ith, Port, [BAZAAR].... makes this not quite as good as Needle. But it will still find a home in MUD/Stompy decks for sure.

I disagree. Phyrexian Revoker can do something Pithing Needle cannot, and that's equip a Jitte and swing.

[Octopusman]

I disagree. Phyrexian Revoker can do something Pithing Needle cannot, and that's equip a Jitte and swing.

I was going to say sad but true but I'll just say "true".

I think a great first couple turns would be:
T1: land, permanent mana accel or ancient tomb/city of traitors, phyrexian revoker naming noble hierarch, LED, vial(!!) etc
T2: land, Jitte, STP or any other 1 mana removal on their blocker, swing
T3: land if necessary, another 1cc removal or 2cc removal if necessary, equip, swing, lol

Can't wait!

If you used a pithing needle and a 1cc creature, you're likely not getting three power unless it's nacatl and you're most definitely -1 vs using revoker.

Thinking if I can afford to have yawg or bigup alter these to look like the brains that ride spider mechs from Doom.

[DragoFireheart]

Someone needs to make a hatebear deck and own the format. GWU with ramp and random hate bears like this dude, Gaddock, Meddling Mage, etc.

Also:

Spell Snare.


:(

[bakofried]

I like this one from the Wizards forum: Pithing Beetle.
Credit to Niche.

[2Rach]

Needle Dick. It ****s your opponent like Pithing Needle. :D